Controversy surrounds over 26,000 title deeds issued to Kwale residents.

By Caroline Katana 

Residents of Lunga Lunga in Kwale County have threatened to return title deeds handed to them by President William Ruto during his recent coast tour , demanding a fresh land survey over alleged discrepancies in land allocations.

The residents, drawn from Kasemeni, Chindi and neighbouring villages, claim the documents do not reflect their actual land holdings, with some receiving significantly smaller parcels than they said they have occupied for generations.

They insisted that they wanted valid title deeds but are demanding that the government first verify land boundaries, address allocation discrepancies and ensure families are not excluded from the settlement process.

For Margaret Madziko of Kasemeni, the allocation threatens her family’s future. She says the parcel indicated in her document is too small for her 20 children.

“Where will I put my 20 children? One-and-a-half acres is not enough,” she said.

Madziko said residents were initially told that their homes were being measured. 

They later received documents which she could not read. After her children examined the papers, they told her the allocation was not what the family expected.

She is also worried that some of her children could be excluded because they do not have national identity cards, despite repeated attempts to obtain them.

John Kassim, another Kasemeni resident, said the acreage indicated in his document is far below what he considered his actual parcel. 

He claims he owns 10 acres but received a document indicating only 1.5 acres.

Kassim wants surveyors to visit the land and establish the boundaries in the presence of residents before issuing the correct documents.

He said the process was supposed to identify the blocks, settle each household on its parcel and then issue title deeds. 

He questions why documents were handed out before residents were shown and settled on their individual plots.

Cosmas Omido said the survey exercise in 2023 lacked adequate consultation. 

He recalls survey poles being placed at homes, but says residents were not properly informed about how the exercise would determine their allocations.

He wants local elders and village leaders involved because they understand family structures, land histories and boundaries.

Omido said some households accommodate several generations, yet the exercise appeared to treat one house as one household. 

He fears this could leave other family members out. He also said elderly residents without identity cards should not be excluded from the process.

Danda Bechizi said officials collected residents’ identity details and telephone numbers during the initial exercise. 

However, he claimed they did not later walk the land with families to identify individual parcels and confirm boundaries.

He also wants the interests of children considered, including those who were below 18 or had not been born when the initial survey was conducted.

“We do not want extra land, but we do not want our land reduced either,” he said.

Julius Kaema, said the government must account for differences between the land residents applied for and what they received.

He cited President Ruto’s remarks that where someone applied for five acres but received half an acre, the missing 4.5 acres should be accounted for.

Kaema said residents want boundaries mapped and every parcel verified systematically, a process he describes as “jembe kwa jembe”. 

He said the community is returning the documents through area Chief Mnyazi to the Deputy County Commissioner in Lunga Lunga for review and correction.

Moses Bati , a native of Chindi, said the dispute must be considered against the community’s history in the area.

He said their ancestors settled there in 1942.

 The land was later leased for 45 years from 1977 by the then County Council of Kwale, with the lease expiring in March 2023.

Bati said residents have used the land for settlement, farming, livestock keeping and community activities over generations.

 He also says concerns over the planning process led residents to seek legal intervention and engage the Taireni Association of Mijikenda.

He warns that allocations that fail to recognise historical occupation and community land use could create disputes among neighbours and families.

“We are not refusing title deeds. We want our land to be properly measured and each person settled in the right place before the documents are issued. We know our neighbours and our boundaries. We are ready for surveyors to come and establish everything on the ground,” he said.

The residents want the government to conduct a fresh survey, verify individual claims and correct any discrepancies before finalising the title documents.

They said the exercise must involve affected families and be transparent about how land sizes and boundaries are determined.

The responsibility now lies with the relevant land authorities to investigate the complaints, explain the allocations and ensure that the final documents accurately reflect the land rights of the affected residents.